After thousands stuck on Key Biscayne for hours, traffic officials reopen part of causeway

Thousands of motorists were enraged after being stranded Sunday night on the Rickenbacker Causeway — some for more than five hours — after a state construction project closed the flyover bridge connecting Key Biscayne to the mainland as visitors were leaving the beach.

Families with children got out of their cars and camped on the sidewalk amid the gridlock. Other people — hungry and thirsty — trekked for miles to the island’s few grocery stores and restaurants.

After a night of chaos, transportation officials are rethinking the closure.

The Florida Department of Transportation reopened the northbound flyover lane that connects to I-95 North, according to Key Biscayne Mayor Joe Rasco. The southbound exit ramp onto U.S. 1 will remain closed as guardrails have been removed, though it will reopen by Wednesday morning.

READ MORE: Hundreds trying to leave Key Biscayne stranded in their cars for hours. What happened?

Sunday was the first evening the Rickenbacker Causeway’s flyover bridge, which connects westbound traffic to South Dixie Highway and I-95 north, was closed. FDOT had scheduled it to remain shut down for two months to restore concrete pavement.

“While the original maintenance of traffic plan was developed with all appropriate factors considered, it was overwhelmed with the volume of vehicles ingressing and egressing from Key Biscayne yesterday,” FDOT spokesperson Tish Burgher told the Miami Herald in a statement. “The Department has heard and understands the community’s concerns...”

Officials — including Rasco and FDOT District 6 Secretary Stacy Miller — met Monday morning to discuss solutions to the mess on the causeway, where a deluge of motorists, including Key Biscayne residents and those who had spent Sunday at Crandon Park, were stuck in standstill traffic for hours exiting the Key. Engineers were reconvening to study the project and its timeline.

“As soon as decisions have been made about the entire project approach and timeline, they will be communicated to the Village, City of Miami and Miami-Dade County,” Rasco said in a statement provided to the Herald.

Village officials, however, have remained tight-lipped about when they were made aware of the construction-related closures — and how they informed the public.

Only close one lane at a time, mayor says

Residents of Key Biscayne say they received an email from the municipality about the closures at around 8 a.m. Sunday. There was also reportedly an announcement on an illuminated sign entering the Key, though most visitors weren’t in the know about the possible traffic delays.

In a Monday afternoon message to residents, Rasco said FDOT has shared information about the construction since January but the state agency “did not fully understand the magnitude of the traffic we would be facing.”

In the message, he said he vowed to work with FDOT on a solution, which will “likely have only one flyover lane under construction at a time.

“A major part of the plan will be developing a more effective detour, placing more informative signage, communicating better with the parks and park-goers, and working with the City of Miami to postpone all events on Virginia Key during the project,” Rasco told residents. “We will also ensure there is an emergency vehicle plan to effectively transport patients in case of emergencies.”

Rasco took aim at FDOT in his Instagram post Sunday: “Although we stressed to our partners at FDOT that a total closure of the ramps would be a serious problem, we were assured it had been studied and was under control,” he said. “Clearly, it is not.”

As of early Monday afternoon, a petition launched the day prior had already garnered more than 2,000 signatures calling for the months-long construction work to be delayed until June when schools are out for the summer.

In a statement, FDOT spokesperson Burgher said the construction is part of a “rehabilitation project” that is “imperative to the structural integrity” of the bridges. Burgher also said the department will continue coordinating with affected municipalities and law enforcement agencies.

“While this project will inevitably cause disruption to typical travel patterns for commuters, the Department reinforces our commitment to workshopping any revised plan with community stakeholders prior to being implemented,” Burgher said.

How to navigate remaining closure

If you’re driving on the Rickenbacker Causeway and want to travel south on U.S. 1/South Dixie Highway:

▪ Merge left at the fork toward Coconut Grove/Brickell Avenue

▪ Make a left turn onto South Miami Avenue

▪ Make a right turn onto U.S. 1/South Dixie Highway

This is a breaking news story and will be updated.